So what did those managers do to make you more motivated?

In addition to what the other responses said:

1. Share a cohesive and inspiring vision for the project.

2. Understand your skills, strengths/weaknesses etc and try to give you work that challenges you / help you grow / are interesting.

I think these are rare and can be hard to do (I'm now trying to do it myself!), but when it happens it's very motivating.

I have read the sibling comments here and it is so saddening. The general expectations for management are, apparently, so low, that a manager attempting to do some duties in their job description is lauded as some savior. <crying-cat.jpg>

Cared about anything other than their own upward movement, actively worked towards my professional development, made sure I had actual, not hand wavey, feedback, and made sure my compensation reflected my growing responsibility.

I am aware that all of those things may not be in their power to give, but some combination of that in any org that is somewhat functional would be motivating.

I had one manager who got extremely excited about whatever you were working on. It was infectious and motivated most of the team including myself. He’s an innately curious person, but also whip smart and surely developed this skill deliberately.

I had another boss, a founder, who had a difficult relationship with engineering but was extremely gifted and had a great vision. I found myself highly motivated at this company as well, but for wholly different reasons. There are many paths to success.

Both startups had successful exits, and I felt as though I contributed meaningfully to both.

Treat me like a human being, work with me to set reasonable expectations, share blame and focus praise.